As gasoline prices continue to climb, with little relief in sight, many U.S. drivers are crying foul, accusing big oil companies of price gouging.

Still, others have vowed to change their commuting habits. An increasing number of drivers in Iowa and across the country are switching to alternative modes of transportation to ease the pain of $3-a-gallon gas.

“Overall, we’ve seen an increase in ridership from a little over the past year when gas prices originally started going up,” said Brian Litchfield, director of program development for the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Cities nationwide are seeing a spike in public transit use. According to USA Today, Washington, D.C.’s Metrorail system has recorded some of its busiest days in history, while ridership is up 50 percent on Salt Lake City’s light rail system. Tulsa (Okla.) Transit’s March ridership was the highest since August 2003 and ridership on San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit is up 4.1 percent this year.

In Greater Des Moines, ridership on buses and in vanpools has increased to a monthly average of 320,000, up from 290,000 one year ago. On average, 15,000 people ride the MTA weekly, up from 13,500 last year.

MTA ridership has risen even in light of a recent fare increase, the system’s first in 10 years. Rising fuel prices was one of several factors that led to the fare increase. As of August, when the fare increase was announced, diesel fuel prices had increased 95 percent since 2002.

“The fuel prices going up can sometimes be a two-edged sword,” Litchfield said. Ridership numbers increase along with fuel prices, but the MTA must work to ensure its services remain cost-efficient at a price that makes it worth it for consumers.

“You can use many of our services for an entire month for less than a tank of gas, with no parking, no headaches,” Litchfield said. Monthly bus passes are $35, or $50 for downtown commuter routes from Altoona and Ankeny. Monthly vanpool passes range from $61 to $194; fares vary based on the round-trip mileage and number of passengers.

The MTA’s vanpool program, which provides transit services to residents in 15 counties, has expanded from 62 routes one year ago to 74, with vanpools coming into Greater Des Moines from as far away as Leon, near the Missouri border. Litchfield said the most of the new routes have been added in the past three months, and vanpools are filling up almost as quickly as they’re being added. New vanpools from Ames, Indianola and Boone were added last week.

Interest from potential riders also continues to climb. The “Carpools/Vanpools” section of the MTA’s Web site, which includes information on vanpool routes and matches commuters for carpooling purposes, recorded 443 hits in April, nearly triple March’s 152 hits.

“Prior to that time, I think people had that optimistic idea that gas prices would go down,” Litchfield said.

But much of that optimism has turned to frustration, encouraging commuters to consider cheaper alternatives, which in some way has been welcome news for the Greater Des Moines Transportation Management Association. The TMA, which is sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, is now in month 15 of its Rest Your Car program, which rewards commuters who carpool, vanpool, walk or ride their bike to work at least four times a month. The TMA conducts monthly drawings for cash and gift cards and quarterly drawings for a trip, and offers a guaranteed ride home to participants, ensuring that they can get home in the middle of the day in case of an emergency (the MTA also provides that service to vanpool, express bus and commuter bus riders). Preferred parking is available in city-owned parking ramps for Rest Your Car participants.

Amy Baker, director of transportation and access for the TMA, said it is a struggle to encourage people “to get out of their cars and do something different.” But higher gas prices have spurred interest in the program and provided the TMA with another selling point. “And most people who try it continue to do it,” she said.

Registration began in March 2005, and more than 1,000 people signed up in the first three months. There was a spike in registrations from August through October, the height of the last gas price jump, when 419 people registered. There had been a lull in new registrants since November – as few as 13 in February and as many as 34 in December – but activity surged again last month, when 88 people signed up for Rest Your Car. Nearly 1,800 Central Iowa commuters are active participants in Rest Your Car, a step toward the TMA’s goal of achieving a 10 percent permanent reduction in traffic levels on Interstate 235.

“We get an e-mail notice when people sign up, and it’s pretty much been steady all through the month of April,” Baker said. “Not only are gas prices high but there are construction issues that definitely help with enrollment. But it’s a good thing because they are getting an idea of the other options that are available. Maybe they’re being forced into it, but this is great for our 10 percent permanent reduction because hopefully they won’t just (use an alternative commuting option) when gas prices are high.”

Rest Your Car has partnered with several Greater Des Moines employers, including Allied Insurance, American Republic Insurance Co., Bankers Trust Co., EMC Insurance Group Inc., Principal Financial Group Inc., Qwest Communications International Inc., Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Wells Fargo & Co. and the state of Iowa, to promote the program among workers. The TMA is finalizing a partnership with Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines and hopes to add several other businesses throughout the summer.

Allied Insurance is also one of nearly 50 Greater Des Moines companies that subsidize 50 to 100 percent of employees’ bus and vanpool commuter passes. But Allied, which currently pays 50 percent toward its workers’ bus passes, is taking it a step further with a pilot program it plans to implement in September. All Allied/Nationwide employees will be able to ride an MTA bus for free at any time by simply showing their employee identification badge.

“Parking is always a premium, and as we continue to grow downtown, we like to be sure we’re offering alternatives for our associates,” said Allied spokesman Mike Palmer. The company currently has more than 3,000 employees at its downtown offices and is projected to add another 1,570 with a planned expansion.

Allied so far has received a positive response from employees toward the Rest Your Car program, and participation continues to increase. The company offers preferred parking in its parking ramps for participants. Palmer said the company has already had to double the number of available preferred parking spots and continues to increase that number as more employees enroll in the program.